New Book Review: Moon Over Manifest

By Clare Vanderpool
Pages: 351
Call number: J Vanderpool, C.
Best for grades 5-8

As soon as I heard that Moon over Manifest won the Newbery Medal this year I added my name to the hold-list and just finished reading it. This historical fiction novel alternates between over two time periods in the small fictional town of Manifest, Kansas. We start in the depression—the summer of 1936 with Abilene Tucker, 12, who’s father sends her to Manifest while he works on the railroad.

Abilene stays with Pastor Shady who is, well… shady, and has been the interim Pastor/bartender for the last 14 years, and much to her dismay she has to go to school, even if it is just the last day. Assigned with the summer homework of writing a story and a couple of cousins to help, Abilene visits Miss Sadie, the fortune teller who begins to tell her stories of Manifest in 1918, during WWI when her father was in town.

Miss Sadie tells her the stories of Jinx and Ned and all the trouble they get into. While is starts with the predictable hijynx of small-town boyhood we soon learn that there’s more to the story than meets the eye, and that these boys could not only bring terrible trouble to Manifest, but also could become the town’s salvation. Not only during WWI, but also 18 years later during the depression.

Moon over Manifest brings to life the fact that everyone has a story, and there is more to every story than can ever really be told. This is a book you can read again and again and always find something new.

Click here to view this title in the catalog
-JW-

New Non Fiction Review: Kakapo Rescue

Kakapo Rescue : Saving the World's Strangest Parrot

Text by Sy Montgomery

Photographs by Nic Bishop
Best for grades 4 and up

Call number J 639.978 MON

I didn't quite know what to expect from the Seibert Medal winner this year. I'm not what you'd call a bird person, but this book made the plight of the kakapo very accessible to me.

These strange parrots found their way to New Zealand, and without any mammals around, and very few predators began to fill niches never thought possible. They lots the ability to fly and grew to enormous sizes for birds (between 5 and 10 pounds), with very soft feathers and a very distinctive sweet smell. They can live up to be over 100 years old, but unlike other parrots, they are nocturnal -- sleeping during the day and wake up and look for food during the night. When faced with an unusual situation is to remain perfectly still and see what happens. These adaptations did not pose well when mammals DID make their way to New Zealand in about 1150 AD.

At the time this book was written there were only 87 known kakapo left on the entire planet! All are currently on Codfish Island near New Zealand, and have round the clock staff and volunteers to care for them and their eggs. Sy Montgomery spend a lot of time talking about the kakapo Lisa-- a first time mom and her egg. Volunteers set up an infrared camera in her nest, and sleep in a tent not far away. When Lisa goes on the move to look for food the team moves in and sets up and electric blanket around the egg to keep it warm-- when there are only 87 of something left in the world they don't take any chances that something can go wrong.

I learned so much about a bird I never new existed, and I learned the great lengths that people go to to protect an entire species, as well as how easily a species once numbered in the millions, can be wiped down to less than 100 birds in just a few centuries.

Nic Bishop's photographs are extraordinary, and certainly make this title worth wining the Seibert award, especially along side Sy Montgomery's easy and informative writing.

You won't want to miss the Kakapo!

Click here to view this title in the catalog

To learn more about this remarkable bird and the efforts of humans to save it, visit the kakapo recovery programme webiste. It keeps a current kakapo count and gives updates on information presented in the book. The efforts of the folks on Codfish island-- Today the Kakapo count is up to 120!

-JW-

Oregon Book Awards - Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature Finalists

The finalists for the 2010-2011 Oregon Book Awards have just been announced. Here are the nominees for the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature. The winner will be announced on April 25, 2011. To see past winners, visit the Oregon Book Awards website.


Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck by
Dale E Basye

Check our catalog for this title.







Calvin Coconut: The Zippy Fix by Graham Salisbury

Check our catalog for this title.









A Small Brown Dog With A Pink Nose by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen

Check our catalog for this title.

The Nest Where I Like To Rest
by Dawn Babb Prochovnic

Check our catalog for this title.

The Extraordinary Mark Twain by Barbara Kerley

Check our catalog for this title.

-gw-

2011 Award Winners

The committees have spoken and the winners were announced this morning! For a complete list of winners and honorees check out the Press Release. Meanwhile, take a peek at the books we have that you can check out or put on hold...

Newbery Medal

"Moon Over Manifest," written by Clare Vanderpool. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Newbery Honor Books
"Turtle in Paradise" written by Jennifer L. Holm. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Heart of a Samurai" written by Margi Preus.Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night" written by Joyce Sidman. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"One Crazy Summer" written by Rita Williams-Garcia. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Caldecott Medal

"A Sick Day for Amos McGee" illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Caldecott Honor Books

"Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave" illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Interrupting Chicken" illustrated and written by David Ezra Stein. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Sibert Medal

"Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot" written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Sibert Honor Books

"Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring" written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Lafayette and the American Revolution" written by Russell Freedman. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Geisel Award

"Bink and Gollie" written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Geisel Honor Books

"Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!" written and illustrated by Grace Lin. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"We Are in a Book!" written and illustrated by Mo Willems. Click here to view this title in the catalog . Click here to see our review of this title.

-JW-